1. Field
This disclosure relates to dispensers and, in particular, to dispensers for containers.
2. Background
While standard product dispensers have existed in the market for decades, they have always dispensed the product by its base or its back. Most often, a coil that serves to push the product forward is located behind a pushing member and exerts force on the product to move it in a forward motion.
A plethora of devices have been invented to simplify or accommodate the dispensing of various products, especially on a display rack. Such devices include U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,961 (Chesley), U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,349 (Wear et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,969 (Johnson et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,761 (Nagel), as well as U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0108624 (Sparkowski).
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,961 includes a coil, having one extremity attached to the front of the display rack, and the remainder of the roll located behind an abutment plate. This basic system allows for the coil to exert continuous pressure onto the abutment plate such that it travels forward, thus pushing the product in the same forward fashion.
A further example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,349, provides a multi-level display with a pusher system on both levels. In this device, the coil is within a housing that consists of two opposing walls pushing a backing plate member onto a product. The base of the multi-level rack consists of ribs and flanges in the shape of wings that latch onto the base of the coil's housing. The ribs and flanges extend horizontally such that the coil's housing slides forwards and backwards pushing the product toward the individual.
A further example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,969, is similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,961; however, the coil is secured within two vertical supports that constitute the coil's housing. The housing has wings at its base that are held in place and slide forward and backward along a horizontal path. The coil, along with its housing, allows for a backing plate to push a product forward for retrieval by an individual.
A further example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,761, includes a product display rack with a front barrier panel utilized to push products forward. In this instance, the barrier is in the form of a wide upside down V-shape such that the coil can rest within it. There is a small aperture at the base of the barrier base from which the coil can extend and be secured to the front of the rack. The small front barrier panel stops the products from being displaced too far forward.
A final example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0108624, is similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,761 in that it also comprises an upside down V-shaped barrier, whereby the coil is secured within it. Again, the coil is tied to the front of the barrier to exert force in a forward motion, moving the barrier along a predefined path along with any product that it is pushing. The difference is within the base of U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0108624: it can be adjusted laterally such that whether the product that the barrier is pushing is small or large, it can rest on a base of appropriate width to accommodate its size.
Unfortunately, these products all have similar drawbacks: they all push products forward from the base of the products. They are not suitable for potentially smaller dispensers who wish to push products from the neck or lip of the container, bottle, etc. due to containers' conical shape. Further, given the shape of the pushers, they would not be able to adequately push conical or cylindrical products such as containers or bottles due to a lack of contact between the pusher and the container or bottle. The conical or cylindrical products may also lack the necessary contact at their base, such that pushing these products would be difficult and cumbersome. Other drawbacks include: having a front barrier to prevent the product from going too far forward hinders the display of the product, having wide rails on the side of the product can cause taller or slimmer products to tip to one side, and having a coil system at the bottom of the device creates a larger chance of dirt or spillage damaging the coil system.
As such, there is a need for a device that can overcome the drawbacks elaborated herein, while being able to dispense products in a different fashion; namely, by their lip, rim or neck, or dispensed from the top of the product in general. These features of the invention will be apparent from review of the disclosure, drawings and description of the invention below.